Avril Lavigne’s style, from neckties to Hello Kitty

Here’s something I’m not above saying: in high school, I wanted to dress like Avril Lavigne. I wanted to look as cool in Dickies pants, I wanted my skate shoes to be big like hers, and I wanted to wear a tie without anyone saying I was trying to dress like Avril Lavigne. Evidently, it didn’t work out.

But that’s a good thing since Avril — like literally any other artist in the music industry — has evolved from her days as a mall-loitering sk8er girl. Now, she’s a tutu-wearing, hand-clapping Mrs. Kroeger, and it’s a transition to be documented. But we’ll censor the cynicism: after all, only (s)he who is without having owned a pair of Ugg boots, can cast the first stone. Meaning that while I might not understand or financially support a Hot Topic-sponsored aesthetic, we still can’t say it’s inherently wrong.

Anne T. Donahue is a writer and person from Cambridge, Ontario who saw Center Stage three times in theatres. You can follow her on Twitter or on Instagram, or sign up for her weekly newsletter, That's What She Said. Her first book, Nobody Cares, comes out in September 2018.